Unit 9 Final project

                                                                                                                     Final Project 1

Final Project

                                                          Final Project

                                                         Angela Fagan

                                                        Kaplan University

                                                                                                                     Final Project 2

                                                            Abstract

In the Health and Wellness Profession it is important how to learn how to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. There are different techniques one can learn to help strengthen the mind and allow personal growth to take place. It is important to have a plan and be able to teach others how to develop goals to move towards integral health and constantly strive for human flourishing.

                                                                                                                     Final Project 3

     It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because it is an ongoing process being in the helping profession.  There are many different personalities that one will meet in this profession and it is important to learn how to be able to assist people in a healthy manner. I am working on psychological and spiritual aspects of my life. I know these are areas that need improvements to be able to achieve my goals that I have set out for myself. Life is constantly changing, but if I am constantly strengthening my spiritual and psychological life, I know that I can have ways to overcome whatever life brings me. It does take effort and work, but learning how to train the mind is worth it.

     I assess myself spiritually by giving things and circumstances that are out of my control to my higher power, who is God. God has always helped me my whole life and He will always be there, but sometimes I want to do things my way and in my timing and guess what, things do not work out smoothly. I believe God has a plan and He already knows what will happen, I have to remember this. When it comes to my psychological health, I assess myself by seeing how I react to circumstances that arise in my life. Lately, my psychological health is my weakest domain. If I do not take care of myself and learn from mistakes, I will become depressed and this definitely does not help anyone. I cannot be the best me. I tend to beat myself up, but I am learning when I move forward and forgive myself, others tend to forgive quicker and life goes on like it should. I am not perfect and that is okay. I have heard that secrets keep people sick. That is so true. My physical life is not exactly where it should be, but I am not worried too much about this domain. I am in good health and I am physically fit.

                                                                                                                     Final Project 4

I do need to work on having a consistent workout routine. So, if I rated each domain on a scale from 1-10, my spiritual aspect of my life would be a 5. Psychological would be a 3 and physical would be a 5. I have a lot of developing to do. I know all of these things are a constant effort and it is a journey.

     My physical goal would be to develop a consistent routine of exercising of at least 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes. My psychological goal would be to take time out each day and write out positive affirmations for myself. This will help to keep myself encouraged and positive. For my spiritual goal, I would like to have designated time each day to spend with God. The one goal that is in common for each of these things is consistency. I believe consistency is the key in achieving happiness and wholeness.

     There are many strategies I can do to help foster growth in my physical, psychological, and spiritual life. One exercise I can do to help my physical life improve is walking on a daily basis for at 30 minutes. This will help me to tone my body and stay active. Another exercise I can do is sit ups. I have wanted to get my abdominal muscles stronger, so this would be a good exercise to implement in my life. As far as my psychological life goes, I can practice contemplative exercises that strengthen my mind. The first one is called loving-kindness and this is where I would focus on myself and my own needs and an enhanced concern and compassion for the welfare of others (Dacher, Elliot, 2006 pg. 65). This will help me on my path to integral health. The second contemplative practice is called the subtle mind. This is where I practice training my mind and find wisdom. The mind is always thinking about something.

                                                                                                                     Final Project 5

 Learning how to stabilize the mind will help me discover happiness, peace, wisdom, and compassion. For my spiritual life, I can apply principles into my life, such as “become aware of and remove the causes of unnecessary suffering-the confusion, misunderstandings, and afflictions of the ordinary untrained mind. “Next, gradually train yourself to replace disturbing mental activity with loving-kindness. Finally, develop your consciousness through contemplative practice and our other capacities through a comprehensive program of integral practice” (Elliot, Dacher, 2006, pg. 134). Another thing I could do is seek to use my life as practice. I have to shift out of automatic to find the essence and healing potential that is hidden in what seems routine (pg. 124).

     I can assess my progress by seeing what changes has occurred within 6 months. I could write down in a journal the progress and/or setbacks that occur. This way I can see what needs to be I improved and I can see what works for me. Journaling is a great way to take inventory of my life. Also, practicing consistency is another key too. I have to be consistent, especially if I want to see change.

     In conclusion, integral health is something that takes effort, but with consistency it will become a natural way of life. I know that I can experience health, happiness, and wholeness, but it really is a mindset. I have to remain positive no matter what, but this is a hard thing to do. I know I can do this though. I am on the path to human flourishing!

                                                                                                                     Final Project 5

Dacher, Elliot. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health: California

UNIT 10---Looking Back

Hi Everyone,

I am out of town, so I could not look back at my scores because that assignment is on another computer, but I know the scores have not changed much. I have a lot of work to do. Right now, on a scale from 1-10 I rate my psychological life as a 4, my spiritual life a 5, and my physical life a 5. I have a lot of improvements to make. I have been going through of lot of things lately and I am not too happy right now. So, I am in an I don't really care mode. I am making slow progress towards my goals and activities. I know what I need to do, I just do not do it. I am scared of change like most people and I am having a hard time uplifting myself because of all of the bad things I have done. I cannot seem to change my focus. I am slowly implementing different activities to improve my well being. Sometimes, I give up too easily and then have to start over again. I know I need to have God back in my life again. I need to surround myself around other people who love God and have positive moods. I have really enjoyed this course. It has opened up my eyes to many changes that I need to make in my life. I know that life is a journey and throughout this journey will come rewards. It is not easy trying to change, but I have to do this or I will remain unhappy and I do not want that for myself. I have so many goals set out for myself in my head, I know I can achieve them if I try hard and not totally give up! One day, I will really be able to help others and truly understand them, I am glad that I have gone through different circumstances because it will benefit someone else one day! Have a great week!

Angela Fagan

Unit 8---- Learning the Way..

Hello everyone!

Out of the exercises that we have done so far, I enjoyed doing the loving-kindness and subtle mind exercises. They showed me how to picture wisdom in my mind and I learn how to get out of self and focus on love for thers. That is a very powerful way to teach and practice how to be loving and kind even to your enemies. That is profound and this the ultimte gift humans are given. It will help our growth and wisdom to develop. God loves us and has instilled in us on how to give and serve, we just have to simply, do it! I will be able to learn how to help myself get through my addiction problems that I have been experiencing and it will help me learn to have self forgiveness. This is challenging, but it has to be done to be able to move forward with a meaningful, life. I have throughly been enjoying this class and being able to blog. I have never blogged before this class and I really like it. Have a great rest of the week and remember to see someone's heart FIRST and flesh last. :)

Angela Fagan

Unit 5------Focus

The loving  kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise was similar because it is taught me how to allow thoughts to come and go and not to grasp on to thoughts and the difference was when the mind would seem to get stuck on a thought, I had my breathing to focus on and it helped me to become centered again. For once throughout this exercise, my mind remained mostly clear. It was frustrating when my mind wandered to certain thoughts, but I did notice that it was always thoughts that seemed to bother me and there they sit in my subconscious mind, so they come through. I am learning how to just allow them to pass through instead of getting stuck on them and over analyzing. There is a saying, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift and that is why it is called the present. I remind myself often of this saying because it is so true. It is easy to get stuck in thoughts and memories. Your mind is a lot like a computer. I am learning too, that whatever is put in the mind is what will come out, so environment is important for our mind. Where we go and who we meet impacts our lives greatly, so guarding the heart and mind is vital for growth. This exercise showed me just how easy it is to allow thoughts to just pass through and move forward. I enjoyed this one  a lot!! When recognizing the connection of the spiritual, mental and physical wellness, it is enlightening. These different exercises that I have learned while being in this class, has helped me to see just how much everything is truly connected. When our life is stressed so is our mind and body. When we are living to our potential and feeding our souls, body, and mind, spiritual food, we feel a lot better and it seems not much can bring us down. It is power of the mind first and then everything else follows. Eating healthy and taking care of our bodies plays an important role in how the mind will think. I can now know how to relate to mind and unify my mind, body, and spirit and see the interconnectedness and how I can improve my life. Have a great week!!


Angela Fagan

Unit 7---Seeking Contentment

Hi Everyone!

This week has been pretty good. I have had a lot of quiet time and a lot of time to think about things in my life and how I can be different. Sometimes, I can over analyze and get myself into negative thinking too. I try to do what I have learned and change my thought processing and visualize positive things happening in my life. Often times, I allow past events that were not healthy choices to haunt me and I know this is not good for me.  This exercise was really interesting. I visualized my 92 year old grandmother. We have a special bond and she was the first person to come into my mind for this exercise. I did not have trouble visualizing the white lights attached from her to me from head, throat, and heart. I felt like I was sitting right across from her. Learning how to listen and train my mind is challenging, but I know it can be accomplished. Whenever I turn to God, things get easier for me. Sometimes, I feel too unworthy to do that though. Praying is something I do on a regular basis and it makes me feel good. I just have to constantly remind myself of all of the positive things and people who are in my life and this will help my health and wellness greatly improve. The saying, " One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself/herself," means that it is hard to understand someone truly if one has not been in that circumstance themselves.Many people can have empathy and compassion for people, but to fully grasp where others are coming from is hard if one has not got to experience things that happen in life. Sometimes, in life, we must take ourselves out of the comfort zones and place ourselves out there in the world of people, so when the time comes for us to lead another person, we truly will be able to with understanding. I believe when people go through certain things, it is for a reason. We may not understand it in that present moment, but one day, it will all make sense. God knows what He is doing. In the health and wellness field, the practitioner must constantly be learning themselves and how to better their life psychologically, physically, and spiritually because if we do not treat ourselves kindly and want to better our own lives, how are we going to be able to fully help clients who need someone and sometimes they need someone a bit stronger themselves to pull through. We have to be others rocks when they cannot be their own and it will be very challenging to do that if we are not taking care of ourselves. Constantly striving towards a greater life and leaning on God to give me strength are ways I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life. Have a great week, everyone and remember take it easy!

Angela Fagan

Love

 Hi Everyone,
Wow, reading about the universal loving kindness was amazing to me. It brought tears to my eyes because if we could only remember to say those few phrases, we would truly experience self forgiveness, how to love yourself and then others and even enemies! Lately, I have been suffering inside of my soul. This is a blog, so I can be real.. I have an addict mind and it is hard to change. It is a scary process because I have used unhealthy things to numb me out. I think way to much and I honestly, have not experienced self forgiveness and healthy coping skills. This is why this class is helping me so much. It is opening up my eyes to see things in another light, but it does take practice. Being kind to yourself can be difficult, but we have to quickly change that or darkness will take over. I discovered that I am not as kind to myself as I should be. I have to learn how or I am only hurting myself. I do not need anyone else, it can just be me, myself, and I to battle. It has not always been like this, though. I have just been through a lot darkness and coming back to the light is hard because I feel unworthy, but I know deep in my soul I am not. That darkness speaks to the mind in all forms. I have to learn how to guard my mind and heart and have discernment. Self- Forgiveness is the area of my life I have chosen to be a focus for growth and development. Positive affirmations daily will help me be able to learn how to gain self-confidence and self-forgiveness again. I like praying as well. That helps me so much to relieve my burdens to the one who is in control. Have a great week everyone and remember to smile!

Angela Fagan

Unit 4 blog--- Relaxing the Mind

Hello Everyone,

As I listened to the exercise, loving-kindness, I experienced many images and a release in my spirit. Towards the end, my mind started to wander, but I was able to get back into the exercise, which goes to show me that I can tell my mind where to go in its thoughts. What I want to achieve is how to do that with these negative thoughts that come into my mind at times. Yes, I can really have a "pity-party" sometimes and I am tired of those parties. This class really is helping me think more into my thoughts and how I do not have to allow one person to affect my mood, which I often allow to happen. I did find this exercise beneficial to me and I am going to try my best to practice these different exercises on a daily basis. I know it would help me relax. Yes, I would recommend this to others, but some people I know may have a difficult time focusing just like any of us, but with practice, it will become easier and they will be enlightened. The concept of a mental workout is much like a physical workout. Many people workout to tone, lose weight, and gain health benefits. Well, a mental workout is allowing the mind to practice how to train certain thoughts and focus on the good in life. The more we workout the more results we will see, but we must be consistent. Some proven benefits of a mental workout are a higher level of integration and organization, increased levels of clarity, and a higher level of synchronous gamma-wave activity. I can implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health by being consistent with my practices. Completing these exercises that we have done thus far and incorporating new ones as well. But, consistency is the key to seeing results. I know I will notice a difference in my thought processing and in my spirit. I am excited! Have a great week, everyone and take it one day at a time. ;)

Angela Fagan

Unit 3 Blog----Reflections

Hi Everyone,

I have been doing a lot of thinking. My life is not where I would like it to be. I have come quite a long ways than in my past, but I have to keep striving for better. I am aware that our life is a journey and we never really "arrive." There are habits I would like to change and I am making an effort, so I have to be patient with myself. It is hard to change. So if we were going by a scale, I would rate my physical well-being a 6. I need to exercise more. As for my spiritual well-being, I would give that area a 5. This is an area that I need to improve because I do not spend enough time with God like I want to. Often times, I feel anxious and I tend to worry, but I feel if I would improve my spiritual aspect of my life, those negative feelings would dissipate. My psychological well-being would be rated a 4. Although, psychology is one of my favorite subjects, my mind is in a healing process right now and I am improving in certain areas.Certain bad habits have to be eliminated to really experience  wholeness and peace! I am 28 years old and I want to have everything figured out right now and I MUST learn that listening, observing, and taking action is what life is all about and knowledge and understanding will come. I am ready for this life's adventure! Are you? :) Have a great weekend and keep smiling. :) :) The goals I would like to implement in my physical well-being is to exercise on a regular basis, my spiritual life, I would like to dedicate certain times just for praying, writing, or just being still, so I can broaden my spiritual life in a more fulfilled way! The relaxation exercise, The Crime of the Century, was awesome! I really was able to tune into it and focus on each color he was mentioning. I truly believed in my words on what he wanted us to speak aloud for each color. I really want to do some kind technique like this one on a daily basis. Positive affirmations are a great way to build self-confidence and wholeness. Have a great weekend!


Angela Fagan

Unit 2 Blog--- Spirituality

Hi Everyone,

I hope you guys are having a great weekend. I am really enjoying the readings for this class. It is opening up my eyes in another light. It seems I have all of this knowledge inside of me, but I do not know how to fully unite my body, mind, and spirit. With all of the chaos in this day and age, it seems very difficult. I wish I could go to China for about a year or so and learn the ancient ways of healing. That would be such a lovely experience to me. As I was listening to the relaxing technique exercise in unit 2, I was taken to my happy place. :) I have done exercises like this before and I enjoyed it. Sometimes though, I get distracted in my mind and cannot completely reach relaxation. I need to learn how to train my mind, but my impatience makes it hard for me. There are so many things in life to learn, but I do believe that having a spiritual life is very important because it gives me a sense of relief to pray to God and allow Him to handle things that I cannot control. I feel like I drift in and out in my spiritual world, but I want to be more consistent. I am aware, so the next thing is change, I will make it! :) Have a great week, everyone!!!!

Angela Fagan

Wellness

Hello Everyone,

This class is right on time for my personal life right now.  I am eager to get started and learn all I can about connecting the mind, body, and spirit, so a complete healing process will take place. My spiritual life has not been where I would like it to be. I want to go to graduate school for Occupational Therapy after I obtain my Bachelors in May 2012. I know this class will definitely help me when I have to help many different personalities in a medical setting. I love sharing information that I have learned with others because you never know when someone may need to hear it. I hope everyone has a wonderful, life-changing 10 units in this class. :) Have a good week!!

Angela Fagan